I invite you to open with me to the last verse of chapter 20 of the Gospel by John. Chapter 20, John's Gospel, 31st verse. We're going to spend our entire time looking at the ramifications of that verse. The question I wish to ask you from our Master's Message series, which we're beginning this morning in the Gospel by John, chapter 20 and verse 31, is, do you believe and live? the message of this gospel life that's contained you believe and have the life look at what it says in verse 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ 79 times John says believe and believe he says I want you to believe and hold to this message and when you do that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and when you believe that you have life. Life in his name. Life the way it was meant to be. Life the way God designed it to be. Life that is unbelievable, overwhelming, and divine. Now the question is, are we supposed to still preach the same gospel? Because in our generation it's being re-examined whether we're supposed to preach this old-fashioned gospel that Christ and the Apostles preached. You say, what do you mean by that? Well, there are a lot of people that have studied and they say, well, You know, we don't want to be offensive. We've got to change the hymns and get all this sin and worm stuff out. We've got to change the whole translation of the Bible to not offend people with this, you know, God being a male kind of figure. And we want to get rid of these gender-specific roles of elders being men. And, you know, we just got to not offend people anymore. And then they back up even on the gospel presentation, and they don't really confront people with the gospel until far into the ministries of many churches. Does the gospel still contain the power of God unto salvation? I just want to take a moment with you this morning and introduce you to one of my heroes. Go back 70 years in time, and his name is Charles T. Studd. When he was 22 years old in the year 1880, he was a professional athlete in London and a multimillionaire. He was a multimillionaire in 1880. back when a million dollars meant something. I mean nowadays people can have million-dollar houses and be outer paupers. He had millions of dollars. His estate was so large that it was in the square miles and he lived in a castle. So I mean we're talking about a really wealthy professional athlete and businessman. But this man at the age of 22 was confronted with the gospel. Straight, plain, you're lost, you're a sinner, Christ is your only hope. You will have an empty, hopeless life apart from him." And he responded to the old-fashioned gospel. Let me tell you a little bit about what happened to him, because modern history testifies to what will happen to those who hear the Bible preached. An illustration of this is 70 years ago, a living legend named C.T. Studd. This man, after he was converted, moved to China, where he worked for 15 years preaching the gospel. He went on for six years to India, And finally, after 21 years, he says, all these people have heard about the gospel. In China, after Hudson Taylor had been there all those years, and in India, after William Carey, he says, give me, he said to the London Mission Board, give me an assignment where people have never heard the gospel. He says, I want to, this China and India stuff, 21 years, he says, they're already, they heard it. Give me someplace they haven't heard. So he said, well, there is one spot. It's called the white man's graveyard. It's in the very heart of Africa. If you look at a map of Africa, hit the dead center. They said it's a torrential rainforest where the light of the sun never penetrates to the floor of the jungle. It's where the light of civilization, the gospel, or even humanity has never penetrated the hearts of those pygmies, savages, cannibals, utterly wicked, immoral, and murderous people. They said, you want to go there? We don't usually have anybody last more than six months. He said, I'd like to go there. And after 21 years in India and China, he spent his last 21 years on earth alive in the heart of Africa. His last week of life was 5,000 of his personal converts he'd led to Christ. In July of 1931, he was confined to a cot. He was so sick, so emaciated, he had an inoperable gallstone. He had had it for 15 years, and it grew bigger and bigger, and he had constant terrible seizures and fevers and horrible pain and everything that's associated with it but he never stopped because if he went to England and they did the surgery they'd say it's too weak to come back so he said I'd rather stay here and suffer and he led to the Lord in 21 years 5,000 of these folks. What kind of folks were they? Well before him sat men and women whose bodies were the habitation before Christ of foul dark fiends from the pit and now those people sat in front of him as living temples of the Holy Spirit of God. Once they were naked and grossly immoral lovers of darkness, now they were not only clothed in Christ but they were modestly clothed in the clothing of the jungle. They would sew together banana leaves and wear that because they realized the need before Holy God to be a modest individual. Once they lived as a continuation of generation after generation of murder, years of darkness, lives of savagery, but now they sat in front of their beloved father in the faith in an immense sea of white tooth smiles. These people, by the way, they would sit there and he had, this man, C.T. Studd, Charles T. Studd, had translated into the language of the Pygmies of the heart of Africa and the Congo in 1931, he had translated the English hymns And he taught them one line at a time. Now, this is no books, no radio, no anything. I mean, these people just had their banana leaves and their spear. And they lived in the jungle. I mean, they came and sat. He taught them the great hymns that we sing. One of their favorites was Wounded for Me, Wounded for Me. There on the cross, he was wounded for me. Gone my transgressions, now I can sing. And they would sing before he spoke for two hours. Two hours before he could speak. And then they'd tilt his cot up so he could see them. And he was kind of strapped to the cot. And they'd tilt him up like this so he could see them. And he would hold his Bible. Now, he had a very interesting philosophy of ministry. He'd get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. They would make his fire. They'd stir it up, put more wood on it so he could see. He'd tip his Bible. And he would read pages after pages for a couple hours till he found truths from God's word. And then they'd tip him up in his cot. And all these thousands would come. And he'd tell them what the Bible said. no techniques, no super sophisticated methodology, just the preaching of the Word of God. These people once were all mortal enemies. They would kill and eat one another. They collected body parts that they would dry and hang from their little huts in the wild jungle there to show how many of their enemies they had eaten and kept a piece of them to show. But now, with no weapons of war left, Only bound together by the bonds of love, those thousands sat with their faces turned heavenward, former enemies now shoulder to shoulder, singing of the beautiful shore where they would someday sit. Well, those congregation of saints were converted and transformed by the Lord through the simple, passionate preaching by Charles T. Studd of the truth of God's Word in the Bible. That's why all believers throughout all the ages have seen lives transformed by the preaching of the gospel. they simply obeyed what Jesus left them and us to do. Well, what is the Gospel? Well, I'd like to remind you, we call it the Master's Message. We saw, first of all, many, many, many months ago when I went through the Gospel by Matthew, that 32 different times, there are 32 different individual scenes in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus goes from merely talking about generalities to specifically zeroing in on salvation. 32 times, Jesus gives a presentation of salvation. In the Gospel by Mark we saw nine different times Jesus is in a gospel preaching scene. I didn't double all the ones that are in Matthew. Then in Luke we see that there are 23 different scenes where Luke presents Jesus Christ explaining who's going to heaven and why. This morning we begin the final in our series, The Master's Message in John. 26 different times Jesus describes the gospel. How does he describe it? Let's look at that. The Master's message in John is John capturing and writing down what he saw and heard. 26 powerful scenes where our Lord Jesus Christ explains the truth about salvation and doesn't just explain it, he identifies those who are saved. Very powerful. How does he do that? John calls saved people believers. We're going to see that next week. In fact, 79 times he calls them that. He never uses the word repent. Matthew, Mark, and Luke like the idea of repent and repentance, and they use it throughout their writings of the Gospel. John doesn't use that at all, and purposefully. He says that this is a belief that embraces your whole life, and he uses the word belief and believe four times more than all the other Gospels put together, but never using the Pauline word of repentance. How does he describe believers? Well, he says believers are, and I'm only going to give you the first 15 that we'll see in the weeks ahead, they are those who possess Christ. And they know it. They are possessors. I mean, do you own anything on this planet? Do you have a title to a car or a deed to a house? Do you possess anything? You know it if you possess it. And if you possess Christ, you know it. They understand salvation is only by substitution. See, that wipes out all the good works and me trying to earn my way to heaven, which is basically what most people believe that you run into anywhere. The last person I shared the gospel with, I was talking to this person, and he said, well, I'm trying my hardest. What does that mean? It means they are trying to earn their way to heaven. They don't understand the gospel Jesus said. Salvation is only by substitution. And there's only one substitute that can take my place. It has to be a perfect substitute, because I am such a sinner. And so that perfect substitute, Jesus Christ, took my place. We also see that believers have been overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that they are baptized by the Holy Spirit. Actually, that's John's message heralding Christ. When he came, he baptized them. What does that mean? Every part of their life is touched by the Holy Spirit. We are utterly overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. We hang on to Christ alone. We don't hope in anything else. Our church, our family, our folks, our wife, our husband, our baptism, or what we've done, or what we've given, or whether there's a wing of the church named after us. We don't hang on anything except Christ. And I love this one. Believers get to start life over again. You ever play a game with littler people? I have a lot of little people in my house. I think about them all the time. We'll get into a game, be it Dutch Blitz or Monopoly or something. They don't like how the game's going. They just go, let's just start over again. And they just pull it all together and put it all back and deal it back out again. Wouldn't you like to just start all over again? Say life isn't going the right way. I don't like how my pieces are falling. Let's just put them back in the box and start over. That's a buddy description salvation Jesus says believers get to start life over again only this time in a brand-new start the right way which let's start your marriage over the right way or your family over the right way or your personal life over the right way which let's cultivate the right habits the right appetites the right desires that's what salvation is all about we get to start life over brand-new the right way believers also have no wrath of God to ever fear never fear that's gonna Swat them and kick them and whack them and burn them like one of the largest religious systems in the world teaches that all of us need to be roasted for a while before we can get to heaven because we're we got to have a little bit of God's wrath it's called purging or purgatory that is totally against the scriptures we never have any wrath of God to ever fear we drink the water of life so we're we're satisfied we're not longing we are convinced that that Christ, believers are convinced that Christ is their only hope. And believers take God at His word. I mean, they just believe this book and they love this book and they take it with them in their heart. They hear and come and obey Christ. They partake and stay in Jesus. And on and on. There are 15 more scenes or incidents where Christ presents the Gospel. Well, what have we seen in the Gospel by John? John starts by telling us that the truth about Jesus is first of all that a believer listens to Jesus as the word. Jesus is the word. He's the last word. He's the Alpha and Omega. He is all we need to hear, and we listen to Him as our word. And secondly, we follow Jesus as our light. He takes the hopelessness out of life. We're following Him, and when we follow Him, we're not in the darkness of despair. We're not in the darkness of doubt. We're not in the turmoil of life. We know that His way is the best way. And thirdly, we worship Jesus as God the Son. Also, He teaches us that we've identified by faith with Jesus as God's Lamb. That's the substitute. That's what we're going to celebrate, just like Jesus led the disciples through at the Last Supper, the Passover. And He is our Passover Lamb. Also, John has taught us that we accept Jesus as God's Messiah. He is the embodiment of all the promises of God in a person. and that he's the anointed one of God living out the truth and then John also this is all in the first chapter and we studied this a long time ago we yield to Jesus as our king like the little chorus goes king of my life I crown thee now I want the glory to be yours not mine anymore that is what a believer does and finally we hold to Jesus as a son of man and what's this son of man stuff that was Jesus most frequent title for himself he liked to call himself the son of man He'd say, the Son of Man came, the Son of Man, the Son of Man. What is the Son of Man? Well, the Son of Man in the context of John 151. I mean, if you want to know what the Bible means, before you grab a commentary, read the Bible and read the surrounding and see what the Bible says about itself. And he's talking there about Jacob's ladder. And the concept in the end of John 1 is that Jesus Christ is the living ladder, the link between heaven and earth. At New Year's, that weekend, we were in New York City. And we were at that huge Macy's, that block by block super department store that's I don't know how many stories high. And it has these wooden escalators that ferry you from floor to floor. And you really can't get between it unless you take their transportation. Well, you know what God says? There's only one way to get to me. you gotta come on the escalator the living link the son of man you have to come to Christ he's the only ladder from earth to heaven no other ladders no other names there's no other religion there's no other way but Jesus Christ the living link well John continues he describes seven signs of what Christ's perfect salvation is about. He does this in two ways. Number one, the first three of Christ's seven miraculous signs show how salvation is received by a believer. You want to tune up whether you're believing correctly? You say, can you believe incorrectly? Certainly. The Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans, lest you've believed in vain. I want you not to believe in vain. There are people who are very religious, They will go to hell. Their people are very Christian-ish. They act, they talk, they work, they serve, they sing, they share, but they've believed in vain, because they have not had salvation the way that the Lord presents it in His Word. What does He present? Well, first of all, through the first sign. What was the first sign? In John 2, 1-11, Jesus turned the water into wine. What was that for? I mean, to save the people money? To show that they could drink alcohol? What was the deal? The deal was he declared his salvation is always miraculous. Nobody else can turn water into wine except over a long period of time. Only Jesus can miraculously do it just instantaneously. So salvation is always miraculous. It's supernatural. It's something only God can do. We can't crank it up. We can't work it up. We can't fit the pieces together and find out a way to do it ourselves. It's a miracle. Secondly, second sign. What was the second sign? When Christ healed the nobleman's son in chapter 4 verses 46 to 54. What is that all about? Through that sign, He declares His salvation is only by faith. It's only by faith. It's only appropriated, received, and offered to us by faith. And I remind you, the limitation of God's atoning work is only unbelief. Those who... Jesus said it. Why won't you come to me that you may have life?" They did not believe in the name of the Son of God. And so this whole book is about, all of this is written in the Gospel of John for us to believe who He is, that He miraculously saves us, and if we believe Him, His salvation is ours by faith. Thirdly, how is salvation received? When Christ heals the paralytic. That's chapter 5 now we've gotten to in the Gospel by John, the first nine verses. The pools of Bethesda, What is that about? He declares his salvation is only by grace. There's a curious phrase in the gospel that's beautiful. At different times, it's described different ways. My favorite one is when it says, behold, Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Do you remember that? And when Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, the blind men begin to cry out and say, have mercy on us. Jesus passed by. They cried out to him. The message that Christ gives here is that salvation is only by grace. There are lots of sick people laying around that pool. Jesus walked by one and graciously offered to him the opportunity for his healing touch. Jesus promised that he lights everyone that comes into the world. That means every person has the light of the gospel shine on them, and if they refuse it, then they've refused his grace. They have not believed. And they, by that, Paul says in Romans 9, fit themselves for destruction. That's how salvation is received. Well, he doesn't stop there. The next four of these mighty signs show the result of salvation. If you've never received Christ, you need to miraculously come by faith, by grace. But what happens once this happens? Well, first of all, here's the fourth sign. When Christ feeds the 5,000 in chapter 6, the first 14 verses. Do you remember that? He got them all to sit down, little groups of 50. They look like flowers in a beautiful garden. That's how Peter remembers it. But in Matthew's, I mean, in John's Gospel 6, 1 to 14, there's this beautiful little expression that there was too much, more than they could eat, and they had to pick up baskets and baskets and baskets full. What was that all about? It's to show us that Christ declared His salvation brings inexhaustible satisfaction. If you read the news very much, you find that even multiplied millions and even multiplied billions cannot satisfy people. Have you read the goings on of the wealthiest family in the world, the Windsor family, as in the Queen of England family? They are the largest landowning, the wealthiest people. They make the Arabs look pale and weak and sickly with their absolute huge British inheritance. Those people live inexhaustible in their desires. I'm not picking on them. They're nice people, have pretty houses, and I pay $20 with other people in the church to go through Windsor Castle. Yes, but you know what those people declare? Money cannot buy happiness. Look at the movie stars. Look at the ones that are constantly testing positive for drugs, and going to rehabilitation centers, and living a life of constant orgies, and the rock stars that hang themselves in hotel rooms after even the drugs give out, and they just have nothing to live for. And Jesus says, I offer to you a satisfaction that never runs out. In fact, you'll have more than you need for the day. You'll have more than you need for your life. Salvation. What's the result in us? Inexhaustible satisfaction. Secondly, when Christ stilled the storm, later on in chapter 6, verses 16 to 21, that was the fifth sign that he did of the seven signs, because he said, I did these signs, and that little phrase occurs seven times. But when he stilled the storm, he declared, his salvation brings complete What does Isaiah say? The Gospel in the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah. It says, the wicked are like the troubled sea. They're restless. They're always foaming up. You ever been on the ocean after a storm and seen that scum stuff, this foam that's all green and brown and ugly and there's trash in it and everything? That was the picture Isaiah evoked and the inspiration of God's Spirit to show what the life of an unbeliever is like. They're always foaming up. their own shame. They're not peace. What is the work of righteousness? Isaiah goes on to say, the work of righteousness shall be peace. So what does salvation result in the life of a believer? It brings complete peace. We are peaceful in storms. Doesn't mean that we're perfect. We're peaceful because we have peace with God and he brings us peace of God in our lives. Next, The third of the results of salvation, when Christ healed the blind man in chapter 9, the first seven verses, He declares His salvation brings light to our souls. We aren't in despair. We aren't hopeless. We aren't helpless. We see that the very light to guide us is within us. And finally, the last result, when Christ raises Lazarus, He declares His salvation brings the power of an endless life. And you know, this changes us. That's John 11, 38 to 45. I always remember this because the Bible postures us as on our way going home to heaven. And I go and prepare a place, a room for you, right? Jesus told them in John 14, he says, don't be troubled, don't even worry about death. I remember once we took 90 some people to Israel and we stopped over in Rome on the way and I was taking them all around. This was a real California ritzy group, and they wanted ultra deluxe. And so I remember Bonnie and I labored over it. And finally, we said, OK, we'll get one of the only five-star hotels in Rome. It's called the Excelsior. You ought to look it up sometime. $500 a night per room. And these people, they came off their big bus. And here are Bonnie and I with our Goodwill suitcases pulling in. And we got into this crusty lobby. And you should have seen, I mean, it was real Persian rugs, and they let you walk on them, and real crystal chandeliers. And they brought out, I'll always remember how big the cups were. In fact, we've always looked for cups that big. They had these hot chocolate cups, because it's rainy in Rome a lot. And so these huge hot chocolate cups, they were this big around. And they looked like bowls, actually, and these little chocolate purrettes. And everybody's sitting around, sipping their chocolate, and eating their purrette, waiting for their room. Going to that room. in my mind was much like going to heaven, because it was so beautiful. I didn't see anybody there go, no, we're... any day we're going to lose them, they're going to go to their room, you know, they're going to die. No, the people were actually excited about going to their rooms in this hotel. And you know what, if we look forward to heaven, like people look forward to checking into their rooms, if we really believe Jesus is preparing us a deluxe, ultra deluxe room, and we're just in the lobby, and when we get sick, And when we get diseases, and when our bodies begin failing, it's just a little bit closer. And I still remember when the first room came, and they walked up, and they said, Smith? Smith? Oh, the people were so excited. They just grabbed their little suitcases and went off with their two little people and took them to their room. That's what death should be like for believers, a hastening for a glad surprise. going to our Father's house, all because we have the power of an endless life. This is not it. This is not our dead end. We are not stuck here marooned. We are on our way home. And we're trying to show people and tell people about our Father in heaven. Well, John doesn't stop there. He gives, finally, the seven great I Am declarations. And I'm going to swipe through these really quick. Number one, he said, I am the bread of life. Who is he saying he was? Where does this I Am come from? He's saying, Jesus is saying, I'm the one that was talking to Moses in the burning bush. You say, how do you know that? Because from the burning bush, God, the Son, identified himself to Moses and said, I am that I am. In Hebrew, ayeh, asheh, ayeh. I am the eternal self-existent one. So Jesus, in his earthly ministry, identified himself as the one who appeared to Moses, the one who led the children of Israel, the one who was all the fulfillment of those promises. And he says, I am the great I am. I am what? I am the bread of life. Jesus is all I need to be satisfied. We ought to stop on that line. I know people who think they need something else to be satisfied. They're not satisfied with their home. They think if they just had a better home, they'd be happy. They're not satisfied with their car. They just think if they could get the car that someone else has, they're not satisfied with their wife. If they could just get, you know, someone from the past or someone from, they don't even know, they just would be. Some children aren't satisfied with their family. Oh, if I just had, you know, the one that won the Olympic figure skating, if I'd had them as my parents, boy, I would be something, you know, that would build a hockey rink in the backyard. My parents never did that for me. Or they think if I just had this education, No, Jesus, the bread of life, said, I'm all you need to be satisfied. Apart from him is only unsatisfied hunger. Do you know what hell is going to be like? It's going to be all the lusts and desires the lost have cultivated their whole life. And they're just going to keep growing like they do all during our life on earth. And there's going to be no way to satisfy them. That's one of the elements. That's what part of the worm that dieth not in suffering the vengeance of eternal fire and the blackness of darkness, the unsatisfied longings." Jesus said, apart from me is only unsatisfied hunger. Well, what did he tell us we need to do? Jesus said, I can feed your soul, I can satisfy all your hungers, if you don't let me you're going to be empty, hopeless, everything else is going to be an empty mirage. When we cross the desert going to California, when we drive out there, it's amazing to see those mirages and how they just glisten off, and then when you get up to where you saw that beautiful lake, there's nothing there but dry sand and someone's little pop bottle thrown by the road. And Jesus said, that's what life is like apart from me. Jesus also says, I am your food that will satisfy you. I'm the bread you need. I have settled the longings of your soul. I can satisfy all the hungers of your life. He says, but what do you really hunger for? Because what you hunger for is what you really worship and who you really want. Do you hunger for me is the lesson. Moses endured. He showed us what finding the bread of life is. He overcame all the temptations of Egypt, the writer of Hebrews says, and even all the troubles on the backside of the desert because he endured seeing Him who is invisible. Jesus satisfied him. David confessed that he would be satisfied to awaken thy likeness in Christ likeness. So what is a believer? This is what John defines a believer as. A believer hungers for Jesus as their bread of life. Their necessary nourishment is Jesus. That's why every time we have communion, we declare that. We say, you're all I need. You're all I want. You're the sustainer of my life. The second great I am declaration that we studied, I am the light of the world. Jesus is all I need to light my path. Apart from him is only impenetrable darkness. Children are afraid of the dark. Naturally, when they're little, they're afraid of the dark. I know some adults that ought to be afraid of the dark. Do you know why? Because hell is described as the blackness of darkness forever. You ought to start getting afraid of going to the place of the blackness of darkness forever. And so afraid that you realize that you only have hope in Jesus as the one to light your path. What does lighting our path mean? Jesus said, I'm the light. I've settled the darkness of fear, the most often repeated negative prohibition in the Bible. Negative commandment is fear not. I've settled the darkness of death. As I said, it's a hastening to a glad surprise. It's going home. It's going to the room that God has been building for me in his house. It settles the darkness of dying. We don't worry that we're missing something. It's all settled. Examples. Jacob. in Genesis 48 confessed. Now Jacob the rascal, Jacob the deceiver, was changed into Israel, a prince with God. He confessed that the Good Shepherd in Genesis 48, 15, and 16 was the one who led him all his days. He's the one that lighted his path. David said, and I love this, you will show me the path of life. Now this is a verse This is a verse to think about. I'm on Psalm 1611. Thou wilt show me the path of life, if you're willing to see and follow the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy. You meet people and they say, I'm not very happy. Well, you know what you're telling me by saying you're not very happy in your family, or in your marriage, or in your job, or at school, or in whatever setting you're in? Do you know what? You're telling me you're not in the presence of the Lord, because the Lord says, in my presence is fullness of joy. If we abide in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have fullness of joy. And that's not all. It isn't just a momentary buzz. You know what the verse ends with? And at thy right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. Unending pleasures, all in the locality of the presence of the Lord. That's why we want Him to light our path. Do you know the idea? He's holding the light, which is His word, And it's a lamp. And as long as we walk in that light, we're walking right beside Him. Because He is the light. But we often stray off into the shadows, don't we? And then we lose our joy. And life is not pleasing. What He calls us to in the proper response is to repent and come back. to come back to the light, to come back to his presence. Then finally, Jesus says a believer will be one who walks with Jesus because he lights their path of light. Let's go to the next one, or we'll never go through these. I love them. I am the door of life to my sheep. Jesus is all I need to get into God's family. You don't need Jesus plus anything. He's the door. He's the way in. He's the only hope we have. Apart from him is only hopeless exclusion. Jesus in his parables talks about those who wait too long. The door is slammed shut. They come banging and knocking. Kind of like Noah's boat. I mean, Noah preaches the longest sermon, 120 years of pounding nails and declaring that God's judgment was coming. And finally, God shut the door and it was too late. No one else could come in. There's a time when the door is shut. You resist too long. you don't hear his voice, you don't harden your heart." He said, while you hear his voice, because apart from him is exclusion. What does the Lord say? He said, I'm the door of life. All your security. What do we have doors for anyway? Security, right? You lock your door at night or you lay in bed and wonder if you locked your door at night. It's also for access. We like doors because they open for us things and we can go through them. Jesus says, I'm your security and your access. It's all settled by me. We can't wander out. There's the security thing. You can't escape Christ. He says, because the only way out since I'm the door is going through me and I won't let you out. I am able to keep you from falling. He says, I'm able to present you faultless. I'm able to get you home. I can keep you. What I began, I finish, he says. Also, no predator could slip in without disturbing him. See, it's a shepherd laying in the doorway. Remember when we covered that. And so Jesus says, I keep you safe from harm. I keep you secure from wandering away from my salvation. So what is a believer? John from this great I am says, a believer enters through Jesus, who is their door to life? Jesus is a door. The door that enters life, the door that keeps them in life. Next, Jesus said, I'm the good shepherd. Jesus is all I need to make it through life and to get home. Apart from him is only aimless wandering. Remember the light and the path? They all are interrelated. He said, I'm the good shepherd, follow me. Stay with me. What does he want to do? He says, well, I'm the good shepherd. I died for you. I've settled the issue of the unknown. I've gone before you. I've settled it. That's not all. He says, I want to be your companion all the way through life and death. He doesn't just want us at the other side. He wants us to walk with him all the way through life. So what does all this mean? Jesus gives us a perfect example. How to live? He lived a perfect life. How to die? In fact, we were just reading the scriptures, and we were in Zechariah, and I said, oh. And I said, children, did you catch that? That's what Jesus was saying. In fact, then we read Psalm 22, and we saw how many things Jesus said from the cross. He showed us the way to live is with the word, and the way to die is with the word. So what is the bottom line? Believers, follow the good shepherd. My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. and he feeds and protects them. What else? Well, Jesus said, I'm the resurrection and the life. He's all I need to conquer death. Apart from him is only endless dying. You know, the conclusion, this huge genome project, the whole mapping of the genetic structure of DNA and all the byproducts and corollaries that, you know what I was reading in the British paper, they said, even if we could solve all of the diseases through the genetic thing, we could only enhance and prolong life 15 more years. So we could go from a 76 average age to a 91 average age. Good. Big deal, right? Why? Because genetically God has built into our whole code for our bodies that the whole thing shuts down and stops repairing itself once we reach our peak. Why? If our bodies did not age, and if we could get enough stem cells and fetal tissue and DNA tinkering to prolong our lives indefinitely, We wouldn't need him to conquer death. You see, it puts us in a dependent need. Our lives are exhausting, running out. We're going toward death. And so we cry out to the only one who is the Lord of life. So how does this apply to our lives? Jesus said, I'm the resurrection. I'm the life. So I've settled the issue of hope. No matter whether you're on the downward slope or on the upward climb, you can have hope both ways because I am the one that gives you endless life. He said, you can count on me. You can hope on me all the way through life and into death. A believer, then, John defines through this I Am Declaration, rests in Jesus whose resurrection assures, assures, Jesus said, because I live, you'll live also, assures that we have an endless life today, not someday. Today, we have an endless life. Next, Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is all I need to not get lost. Apart from him is only endless wandering in the darkness, and it's so easy to get lost. Jesus said, I'm the way. I've settled the issue of your home. I'm taking you there. Jesus said, I'm making it your very own room. The minute it's ready, I'm going to come to the lobby, and I'm going to call you. And you ought to be like the people at the Hotel Excelsior, looking forward to it, awaiting it. Right? It's a whole different view. That's why they celebrate. death in the early church. They celebrated, and they sang, and it was a testimony. Hebrews 11 describes this attitude. The Old Testament saints, these all died in faith. Having seen a far off, a city God prepared for them. They lived their whole life watching that city, and they said, I'm getting a step closer every day. And I'm longing for that city. That's the life of faith. So what is a believer? A believer trusts the way of Jesus. He's the only way. He's the ladder. Son of man. They believe the truth of Jesus. He's the substitute that died in their place. A believer lives the life of Jesus. Remember the idea of Jesus substituting my emotions for his, my wrong responses for his, as we talked about, with what the fruit of the Spirit is. It's me living the life of Jesus, me having Christ's patience. It's a whole different life. the seventh. I am the true vine, Jesus said. Jesus is all I need to be fruitful to the last day of my life. This is contrary to our society. Our society is the old-timers. You shove them out of the way. They're a drag on society. In fact, the European society, when they get to be too much a drag, they euthanize them. Euthanasia. They kill them. You know, the good death. Get rid of them. They're a drain. But Jesus said, I want you to be fruitful to the last breath. the last day of life. Apart from Him, if we don't realize this and abide in Him, there's continual emptiness in our life the older we get. We feel useless, our strength withers, and we don't realize that we can be on the forefront of what God is doing because the weaker I am, what? stronger he can be through my life." How do we translate this? Well, Jesus said, I'm the vine. I'm your source of life and health. The state of your health is all in my hands. I know exactly your condition. I know your frame. I know your dust. I knit you together. I know all the genetic defects and everything else that you have. He is sovereign over all. He said, abide in me and my strength will be made perfect in your weakness. I will provide for you living grace. He said, to help you through life. to live graciously in a grace-filled life. I will give you enduring grace. God wants us to not have a society and culture saying, take a pill so you don't feel pain, take a pill so you don't feel anxiety, take a pill so you don't have any woes. God says, I want you to have woes. I want you to need my enduring grace to go through your trials. If you are a biography reader, As I am, I have 140 or 150 biographies on my shelf right to the right of where I sit and study all week long. They're just right there. And I look at the different titles and it reminds me of those folks I know. Almost every great Christian had an awful life. They had something, they had struggles, they had pains, they had weaknesses, they had sicknesses. That's why we don't have very many great Christians anymore because everybody is eluding and escaping and fleeing from troubles. And Jesus said, I'll give you dying grace. And by the way, He doesn't give us a three-month supply. He gives it to us just when we need it. More than we need, but just when we need it. We don't get a prescription for the next three months. We get it day by day. If the vine in John 15 speaks of all of life, if it's just one vine, one season, in other words, then we should get more fruit filled the older we get. Remember when I went through Psalm 92? It should be that our maximum zenith of fruit bearing is the older we get. So the greatest Christians, the most mature, the most fruitful, in all of our fellowship, ought to be the oldest ones who have been along with the Lord. Or, if the vine is many seasons, then life is a succession of growing, pruning, bearing, resting. But even then, it should be more growing, pruning, bearing, resting, growing, pruning. So both of them mean that the longer we're in Christ, the more we grow, the more we bear, the more he prunes, and the more we rest in him. So what's a believer? A believer abides in Jesus, who is the supply of all they ever need. Well, back to the question in the Gospel by John. Do you believe and have this life? If not, how do you get it? Well, let's look at that. Four ways. Lesson 1. How do we get all that? How do we get this life to know and believe? Lesson 1. Come to Christ for salvation. That's the bottom line. That's what he says. Why won't you come to me? Jesus said, preach this to every creature. Tell them to come to me. Every creature, preach this gospel to them. What is the gospel? Come to Christ. If you are empty, call out to Christ. Don't let yourself go through another day without coming to him. Why on earth would you want to risk, as Jonathan Edwards said, walking over the rotting floors of this earth, ready to fall into the fires of hell. Why? Be born again, as it says in John 3. Receive life, John 1, 12, to as many as receive Him. He gave this life. Be filled, be delivered, John 7. You'll have a life that's an overflowing life. Out of us will flow rivers of water. Be delivered, John 8. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Join in the victory parade. What does that mean? We're constantly led, as John 20, 31 says, We have this life in His name. It's an abundant, overflowing, victorious life. Well, without resurrection life, under sin, under guilt, empty, that's what you are without Christ. But Christ invites you to come to Him. The gospel in the Old Testament again, Isaiah 55, come. If you're thirsty, come to the water. If you're broke, come and eat and get wine and milk without money, without cost. Why are you spending your life on what is not going to be the bread of life your labor and what doesn't satisfy and then as Isaiah says listen listen to me eat what is good in your soul will delight remember you'll be satisfied and then the Bible ends with this the spirit and the bride say come the Holy Spirit that convicts in the bride that's us who are messengers of his great reconciliation we say come and let him who hears say, come. Whoever is thirsty, let him come. And whoever wishes, let him take. Notice the free gift. It's gracious. It's by faith of the water of life freely. So number one, come to Christ for salvation. Number two. Look only to Christ for satisfaction. Step one is salvation. Step two is sanctification and choices. What do I mean? We can cultivate human relationships with our wives and children and friends, but don't look for ultimate fulfillment in them because they'll disappoint you. Why? Because we're human. We're frail. We're fallen. We're weak. We're sinners. Energetically pursue your career. Be the best whatever you are. But don't imagine you'll ever find that Divine transcending fulfillment in life through your career. It's impossible. It's only through Christ in Christ We have everything may our prayer be I want to know as Paul prayed you and the power of your resurrection I want a fellowship sharing in your sufferings. I won't become like you in your death. I want to be like Christ I want to look only to Christ for satisfaction number three Be filled with Christ Spirit Our lives can be victorious. Don't ever think that you are the one in a trillion that can't have the life of Christ. No, no. Your life, my life, our lives can be victorious. Jesus has been there before us. He has met the worst Satan could ever give, and he's been victorious. And the most important factor in a victorious Christian life is being full of the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit. Romans 8, 9 says that. Christ is a victor over temptation and sin. What he says to us in John 16 is, take heart. I have overcome the world. What he's saying is, I overcame it. You and me also will overcome it. I love this. When Martin Luther, the great reformer, born 521 years ago or so, when he was asked how he overcame the devil, he said, well, when the devil comes knocking on the door of my heart, and he says, hey, who lives in here? The dear Lord Jesus goes to the door and says, Martin Luther used to live here, but he's moved out. Now I live here. When Christ fills our lives, Satan has no entrance. Wow. Be filled with Christ's Spirit. Here's the last one. Stay filled with Christ's Word. Wow. What do I mean by that? Well, the other factor of our victorious Christian life is to be full of God's Word. Jesus, when he responded to Satan's temptation, answered with the Bible. Most of us would be hard-pressed to quote one verse from Deuteronomy. Jesus knew him just like that. Just knew him. Because he's God? No, he learned obedience, the book of Hebrews says. He learned those things. He didn't get a download from God so he didn't have to work. He labored. He learned in the synagogue and memorized and read and prayed. You know, we're in the instant, you know, just email me that, you know, or scan it. We just live in this instant, no work someone else does at society. Jesus learned. He knew the truth. I've hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you, Psalm 119. Why is this so? Because God's Word reveals God's mind. God's mind can't be subject to sin. Therefore, if we fill our hearts with His Word, sin and temptation can't dominate. Stay filled with Christ's Word. So for the last time, I ask you, the Master's message in the Gospel by John is, do you believe and have this life? That's why Christ came. That's what he offers to us today.